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Macaron Tutorial

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I must start this post with shout out to my dad that has nothing to do with the recipe and story below. A couple of weeks ago, my awesome Papa took pity of my completely DIY portfolio page created a few months back and asked if I could please shop around for a professional hosting site and he'd help. After pouring over countless forums, domains, templates, I decided to go with Photobiz (and no they are not paying me to say how great they are). They're affordable and super pro. Once I had uploaded my pictures, the revamped portfolio was up and running almost overnight! Thanks dad!

It never fails. Every summer here, I want to be there. I know I have been in South Carolina long enough to handle the scorching summers but I really think that unless you are born and bred here like Bill, there is a "heat acceptance gene" missing in most of us. Actually, the humidity is the bigger problem. It wilts you the minute you step out the door and it looks like I do not have the "A/C acceptance" gene either.

What to do to keep fresh and refreshed? Eat a serving or two of this Plum and Watermelon Soup with a scoop of Lemon Balm Ice Cream and a couple slices of Toasted Blueberry Pound Cake. I am a soup kind of gal. Hot, cold, room temperature...I just love soups but I admit I would have never tried to make this if it had not been for Asheville, and our dinner at Zambra.

We were full to the brim and when dessert arrived we all thought "I can't anymore". Then came chef Adam's rhubarb - watermelon soup and basil ice cream. The only thing heard at the table was the rattling of our spoon against the bowls. What I could not get enough of was the side of toasted black sesame pound cake he served the soup with. What a brilliant addition! I put it all in the dessert memory bank hoping to make it for us one hot summer day.

This day came with Bill's birthday and I figured it would be a perfect ending to his "birthday dessert feast" of lemon donuts, goat cheese tarts, chocolate covered marshmallows and cupcakes. I took full advantage of all the wonderful summer produce around here and used watermelon and tart plums (to mimic the tartness of the rhubarb), lemon balm from our garden to infuse a simple vanilla bean ice cream. Bill's mom often goes blueberry picking in the wee hours of the morning and loves to give us a few buckets full. They were put to good use in a pound cake that Bill loves all year round.

When it gets passed 95F, I have no desire to turn the oven on and if I must, you can bet it better be quick and for something as good as blueberry pound cake or apricot financiers! But I could not resist the idea of thin slices of pound cake slowly toasted in the oven to be served with the soup. You don't even need to make soup to fall in love with the idea or the taste. It's just plain fun! We had leftover soup after the party and we had the remainder as cold shots one hot afternoon. Perfect!

Prepare the soup:Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and puree until very smooth. Refrigerate until very cold. (how hard was that?!)

Prepare the ice cream:In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and one cup of sugar until pale and thick. In a saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk, heavy cream, vanilla bean and lemon balm to a simmer, without letting it come to a full boil. Slowly pour the hot cream over the egg yolks mixture while whisking to temper the egg yolks. Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream coats the back of spoon. At this point you have made a custard sauce, also known as "creme anglaise". Let cool completely and refrigerate until cold.Once the custard is cold, strain the vanilla bean and lemon balm and process the base according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.

Prepare the cake:Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the center. Slightly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray, place it on a baking sheet and set aside.In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk and mix well until combined. Turn the mixer off and fold in the blueberries by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes (tend with foil midway if the top seems to brown faster than the cakes bake). Let cool completely and cut very thin slices of cake. Place them on a parchment paper line baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown.

Your new portfolio is breathtaking! Love the look and feel. If the man in orange is Bill then his nickname is well deserved...I think he would give George Clooney a run for his money! The dessert soup sounds marvelous and perfect for August.

I think I'd rather be "there" too. It's not that I don't love summer (NY is not quite as humid as SC, but it can be pretty bad), but I would still love to be in such a gorgeous place!

Bill is a lucky guy to get such a beautifully-presented spread. The soup is very creative and I feel refreshed just looking at it. I love pound cake and the idea of adding fresh blueberries makes me very happy. The ice cream is incredibly creative as well.

I will have to file this lovely idea away for a few months.....when summer descends on me and I too am subjected to unrelenting sub-tropical heat and humidity! URGH. It's so pleasant here in 'winter' (29C/85F on the weekend! - but dry), but summer can be nasty. 35C and 98% humidity. I don't even want to think about even going into the kitchen. Even though I'm a native to the sub-tropics, if it's any consolidation, I don't get used to it - I just look forward to winter, every day! :)

What a beautiful new look...simple and chic. You have been an inspiration to me in so many ways (I was inspired to go to pastry school and start my own blog because of you). Thanks for your passion and the beauty you bring to others.

Great refreshing recipe! Very needed also here in Bologna, Italy, where we use the same ingredients of South Carolina: scorching heat and crazy humidity, well mixed together.If it'll continue the same also next week be assured that I will "steal" your idea, I already thought about a couple of variations ;)

Mmmm! That rhubard-watermelon soup with basil ice cream is one of those happy food memoments that will stay with me for a long time. Thanks for bringing it back to life on your blog. Now, I wish summer would hang on just a little longer.

The new portfolio looks great (I thought the old one was nice too). I see you included a picture of Missy Pout-Face. Ha ha! Your dad is so sweet :) Must say that toasting thins of pound cake is a brilliant idea. Sounds like a delightful combination with the soup! Can always count on you for a sweet take on anything. As for that heat gene... I was born and bred in southern VA and I cannot abide by the heat. Not one bit ;) I must be defective! *snort*

I think that no matter where I am, I would love to be where you're from - so gorgeous! And yes, after spending a summer in S. Carolina, I believe you have to be bred for that sort of humidity. I wilted after about 5 minutes outside! But I'm sure that with that dessert, I'd feel refreshed in no time :)

Wow, the thin slices of cake is SUCH a smart idea with this fruit soup! I made a strawberry watermelon balsamic soup last month (first time doing a cold dessert soup) and something like the cake sounds like a fantastic addition.

Also, your portfolio is gorgeous! I am jealous, of the design and the photography skills.

One last note - I grew up in NC and I still cannot deal with the heat. Do not feel bad - if there is such a gene, it's not in all of us Southerners.